


All Bark, All Bite

by CravenWyvern



Series: DS Extras [67]
Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, One Shot, Verdant Skins, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25382671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CravenWyvern/pseuds/CravenWyvern
Summary: Wilson and Wolfgang go on a hike into the nearby forest.
Series: DS Extras [67]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/688443
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	All Bark, All Bite

The forest was silent no longer.

Rough chattering, loud, inconsiderate conversation that went about through the woods in a hike that paused by near every tree, bush, plant, footsteps heavy and clumsy and yet still ever so persistent, _annoying._

Under a grand skeletal tree, frost still coating the roots, something stirred.

The undergrowth crunched under Wilson's feet, taking the lead as the faint layer of snow parted under his boots and started to melt under the morning sun, and behind him his companion's rough voice broke through the forest's silence once again.

"Is dangerous here, friend. We should turn back, very soon."

"I already told you, Wolfgang, there's nothing to be afraid of out here." The short man halted by a particularly dense bush that clung to the side of one of the pines, adjusted his glasses as his breath fogged up in the chilly air. "It's just a normal forest, normal flora and fauna, nothing to be afraid of."

He crouched down by the bush, its thick curling thorns and the faint small buds just starting to grow about the stalks, and Wilson had to grab at his side and dig in his pack before retrieving one of his thicker gloves, slipping it on as the other man behind him came up to have a closer look.

"Careful, is prickly."

"I know, Wolfgang." 

Wilson gently held one of the bulbs, the hidden flower not ready to bloom, before fiddling around once more with his free hand and coming back with a small pair of scissors. With these he clipped the base of the bud, right under the leaves that curled around the closed red petals, still tightly packed, and he held the bud in the palm of his glove.

"Is rose?" The big man was leaning over him, eyeing the bud and then giving a frowned look to the twisted bush before them. "Far away from garden, it is."

"Yes. A wild plant, but…" Wilson stood up, rolled the bud in his hand before pocketing it in another bag, this one more intended for specimens. "Odd that it grows so close to the trees, not more in the open and direct to sunlight. And the color isn't native to this region."

"Hm." Wolfgang huffed, straightened back up with his hands on his hips, looking in deep thought before he spoke. "Is odd plant, in odd woods. We should leave."

Wilson was already shaking his head, already starting off once again, the pathless forest making his steps wide and disorganized as he tried to avoid stepping on anything green and growing in his way.

"We already got this far, and I'm not turning back now. I still need a few more samples."

"We have enough flowers and dirt!" Wolfgang cried out behind him, before his thundering footsteps informed Wilson that he was hurrying to catch up. "No need for more! Don't want to anger the forest, bring monsters to us!"

"There are no such thing as true monsters, Wolfgang! This forest is completely natural, with a bit of odd genetic variety, but I am sure there is a perfectly normal explanation." Wilson continued forward, past an odd mixture of what he was sure was birch, white aspen, entrenched together with the pines crowded nearby. "Someone must have been planting in here, introduced all these pines and chased out the natural oaks and cedars. This forest must have been owned by someone at some point."

"No one owns this forest." Wolfgang huffed and puffed behind him, having more trouble with the undergrowth as he stomped around behind Wilson. "Forest owns itself, since long before us. If we not leave soon, it will get very angry!"

"Stop talking nonsense, Wolfgang, I know you're better than that." The short man shook his head before spying an outcropping, a space ahead that would get them away from the underbrush and the fact that more and more thorny bushes seemed to be taking up the space. So many roses in this place! Someone must have really loved them, once upon a time, to really encourage the growth to this size and strength. "Being superstitious is one thing, but facts are facts. Monsters out here are heresy, just rumor and passed by word of mouth. There is nothing supernatural or otherworldly out here!"

He stopped when a big hand grabbed him by the shoulder, a firm pull to turn him around, and Wolfgang gave him a very serious look, frown tugging almost unnaturally on him, fear pulling wrinkles down on the usually happy man's face.

"What of horsey?"

That made Wilson pause a moment, brow curling as he thought of his answer.

"For one, that was only a few weeks ago, and it was caught very quickly. For two-" Here he waved a finger at the bigger mans face, knowing smirk rising on his face before he had to quickly adjust his crooked glasses. "Unicorns are not all that uncommon in well growing forests. They are also not classified as monsters."

"It had a big horn, very sharp." Wolfgang punctuated this by holding his hand to his head, index finger pointed out in mimicry. "Destroyed car, almost killed a man."

"Irrelevant to what we are discussing, Wolfgang." Wilson heaved a sigh, absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair before quickly giving that up. Leaves seemed to gravitate to him whenever he was out in the field, and he just would have to wait to get home before he got to untangling them all. "Still not a monster, not under legal documents or scientific study. Now that it's been rounded up and transferred, this forest should start going back to normal. Any of the odd, invasive species will be culled or die off, and the natural regions flora will be coming back in the next few years."

Wolfgang still looked unconvinced, but Wilson was undeterred from continuing on, turning around and heading to the clearing ahead.

"And I want to collect as many samples as I can before that happens. Years under that sort of influence, and we might even get a historic footprint of what year these plants were first introduced. We can even try to track who had owned this land and done this in the first place!"

"Already said, only forest own forest." Wolfgangs voice was sullen, put out, but he followed Wilson anyway.

Like he always did, and Wilson appreciated that immensely. Not many people around these parts seemed to want to entertain his rambling and curiosity, and even fewer were willing to break town taboo to follow him out here. 

Corresponding with the other man all those years ago when he had still been attempting universal schooling had really paid off; having a place to stay and something to do with his time that may or may not pay off well in the future was all thanks to Wolfgang's generosity.

Knowing each other face to face had made it clear they didn't know or understand each other very well, Wolfgang's written letters were far more comprehensive and Wilson's far more organized, but so far they had kept an odd friendship going these past few months.

It was the most Wilson has had in near his whole lifetime, so for all his eccentricities he did his best to not step on the other man's toes all too much.

This time, however, he was going to push it. He was far too curious to not to, and honestly if Wolfgang decided to go back to town he'd not be offended.

The thought slowed his step, and after a moment Wilson glanced behind him, voice softening as he spoke.

"If you want to go back, Wolfgang, you can. I can take care of myself." The other man paused, blinking almost in surprise, and Wilson pushed on. "I'll meet back up with you later, if you want? I shouldn't be out here for too long, if you're worried about that."

The other man had already started to shake his head, pushing and stomping through the undergrowth to get to Wilson's side, and he looked serious and uneasy but he still gave Wilson a somewhat companionable smile.

"I will not leave friend out alone in this forest, no!" A heavy handed pat to his shoulder almost threw Wilson off balance, but Wolfgang kept him upright, the more familiar smile spreading on his face. "I will accompany you until done, and then lead way back. No monster will get you, with Wolfgang around!"

The big man made a show of raising his fists, the smile turning into a determined, stout expression, and Wilson let out a faint sigh in relief.

At least he wasn't going too far, as he was so used to unintentionally doing.

"There won't be any need for that, Wolfgang, I'm sure. I don't think even something as large as a bear will want to go against you."

Wolfgang nodded, pleased at the imagery, and with that Wilson turned back to continue his way forward. The tugging rose thorns were insistently getting thicker, more pressing about and taking over where even weeds and other, smaller plants would grow, and the oddness of that stuck out in his mind as Wilson pushed on.

Someone must have taken care of these, and the plants were so aggressive to boot! It was early spring, there was still frost and faint snow on the ground, frozen runoff just beginning to fill the rivers and creeks, and yet these plants were wide awake and already budding. Getting a few more samples, perhaps even a bit from a nearby water source might help answer Wilsons many growing questions.

The next step would be documentation, and then perhaps sending his findings to someone he trusted. Unfortunately Wilson did not know too many people, especially after burning bridges from university, but he supposed he could always contact Wagstaff. 

An untrustworthy man, but one who knew people and had an extensive network Wilson had been privy to years ago. Maybe he'd get the recognition he'd need and not get his work stolen or get blackmailed.

If he was careful, of course, very, very careful. That old man looked friendly, but Wilson knew better than to underestimate him by now. 

The rose bushes thickened up the farther they hiked, aiming for that brief flash of a clearing Wilson had seen, some vines and out sticking roots still coated in a fine power of snow and frost, but the young buds were absolutely everywhere, scattered in with the thorns and twisting curves of the plants themselves. Full spring must be a sight to see, Wilson thought, and wondered if he'd be able to get some pictures in the next coming months when the flowers bloomed. 

If the unicorns influence didn't fade away by then, though at this point Wilson was still wondering if that was the cause for such growth. He didn't think there was anything under the realm of "monster" in here, but perhaps something else a little more discreet, undercover. Perhaps even the townspeople were involved, though Wolfgang was very set on this forest being special in some dangerous way.

More leaves were getting stuck in his hair, as the bushes got taller and taller, the pines above thicker in width and starting to block out the sky, frosty ground coated in either rose growth or fallen needles, but both men were persistent and eventually the clearing opened up to them.

Wilson tripped, of course, thorny rose vines that thankfully didn't catch or tear his well used clothing, but he was quick enough to not fall on his face into the clear, grassy ground ahead. Wolfgang had to stomp his way through, much bigger and not as flexible, but his clothes bore no marks either, made to weather heavy gardening and forest hikes. 

As Wilson got his balance, adjusted his glasses and brushed off his clothes of any leftover leaves, needles, or dirt that had hitched a ride to him, it was the other man's sharp gasp that caught his attention, made him raise his gaze up.

Before them, circled by those huge rose bushes and the towering pine trees, an odd ecosystem missing so many vital flora components in this one space, was a massive tree.

It wasn't pine, no, skeletal in nature and still hanging frost and snow from its bare branches, obviously a deciduous tree that was still hibernating, and it's huge roots were sprawled about the clearing, reaching in arcs above the ground before digging deep and disappearing under the clearings roses. There was, surprisingly, grass here, and a snow coated leaf litter that the grass had overtaken, possibly from when the tree had dropped its leaves in the past fall, and Wilson stared up at its bared branches that rose to the sky like claws, massive and twisted and obviously old.

Possibly older than the pines surrounding the area, actually. Its trunk was huge, dipped and twisted as it was, pale bark that had grooves and patterns all about it, and Wilson quickly slipped his glasses off and wiped them with his shirt, scrubbing away any leftover dirt particles before pushing them back on quickly. 

This was something he definitely wanted a sample of.

"...is a very big tree." Wolfgangs voice was hushed, almost in reverence, and Wilson glanced over to the large man. "...We should leave, Wilson."

That made the short man blink, a little surprised actually. Wolfgang never called him by his first name, not even in his letters all those years ago.

"I need a few samples first." It was obvious that the other man was going to take that badly, but Wilson was already turning away, heading to one of the closer breaching roots, thick and twisted with the powdered frost. "Just give me a few minutes, and then we can leave for today. I'll need to mark this place down on my map later…"

Wilson trailed off as he stood before the root, its bark spiraled and curled in patterns and grooves he's never seen before in a tree, or any other plant for that matter, and he raised his hand and held it out-

"No!" 

Wolfgang had snatched up his wrist, tugged Wilson back a few steps with a strength that immediately made his shoulder ache, and for a second he almost yelled at him before getting a good look at his face.

Wolfgang looked absolutely petrified, face pale and eyes wide, and it took a moment before Wilson realized the hand holding him back was trembling.

"Do not touch!" Said the other man in a whisper, strained and panicked. "Is bad, very bad! We should not be here, need to go! Now!"

"I am not leaving until I gather more specimens." Wilson deftly twisted his arm, slipped his wrist from the other man's loosening grip, and he held his hand and rolled it a few times, just to get some feeling back into it. Wolfgang was a strong man, and even though he held himself well sometimes he seemed to forget his own strength. "And there is nothing to be afraid of here, Wolfgang, I already told you. It's just a tree; no hidden monsters, no evil witches or wizards, not even some aggressive wild animal. There is no reason for your superstitions to be overtaking you so easily."

His words didn't seem to be even heard, from the way Wolfgang was twisting around and looking everywhere with frightened eyes, and Wilson sighed, shook his head.

A part of him had seen this coming, from the way Wolfgang had reacted when he had first brought up the idea of hiking out here, but a part of him had also believed that his own rational nature would have fixed that. Apparently not, and he'll need to keep that in consideration for next time he ventured out.

"Listen, just go home if it's bothering you this much. I can handle myself perfectly fine, alright?" Wilson hesitantly patted the big man's arm, winced when that made Wolfgang flinch and turn his wide, scared eyes back to him, but he kept his voice calm and confident. "I'll head back in a few hours, before sunset even, so don't worry about me. Go home, Wolfgang."

"Wolfgang can't leave friend alone, no!" The big man's voice rose in his fear, and Wilson froze up when those big hands landed heavy on his shoulders, holding him still. "It's dangerous! We must leave, now!"

"Listen, Wolfgang…" Wilson moved slow, but there wasn't much strength in the grip as he eased the other man's hands off him, a step back from the unwanted contact as Wolfgang looked all about them in a paranoid hurry, eyes still wide, body tense and shaking. "I'll be fine. I've been doing this for awhile now, and no tree has bitten or hurt me as of yet, okay? I guaran _tree_ that."

His attempt to lighten to mood didn't do anything either, so the next step was factual evidence.

Wilson took another step back, watched the other man to make sure he'd not be snatched back again, and backed away a bit more, just enough to get close.

"Wolfgang, I think the _root_ of your problem is that you've let all those stories and legends get to your head." The other man looked sharply at him, eyes still wide, face too serious and pale and afraid of the shadows in the dark and fairy tales, and Wilson gave him a small wave, a reassuring smile on his face. "You need to _branch_ out a bit, stop letting your be _leafs_ get the best of you."

Wolfgangs face was curling up a bit now, brows low in thought, and when he spoke the confusion in his voice was thick and audible.

"Why do you speak that way?" The big man sniffed, and his pose was untensing a bit now as Wilson successfully distracted him. "Is not time to be saying funny things, friend."

Wilson just smiled.

"Just trying to _pine_ ten the mood."

And with that he let his raised hand fall, palm down, upon the tree root right behind him.

For a moment there was silence, as Wolfgang froze, eyes wide, and Wilson mildly noted that the bark was just as dipped and curved in texture as it was in how it looked.

"See? Nothing dangerous about it at all-"

And then there was a low rumble of sound, something that almost sounded like a lightening strike, crackle in the air and groan of wood, and both men turned their heads to see the dirt about the base of the tree move.

Wolfgang yelled; his bellow was far louder than the crumble of the dirt or the groan as the roots of the tree somehow _twisted_ , shifting like great tendrils ever so slightly as to open up the earth, and Wilson stumbled a step back as the root next to him curled away from his touch, the patterns changing along with it.

The smooth spirals grew sharp and crooked somehow, the very bark itself growing jagged and rough, and the short man took a few more steps back and watched, mouth agape, as something under the soil and roots _moved._

It was only the pounding of footsteps that warned him that Wolfgang had fled; nothing even said, just a wordless cry and a retreat that left Wilson to his own defenses.

He knew that it was expected, from the get go he had known, but still.

It sort of hurt, getting abandoned by the one person he considered a friend, but he didn't even have time to think about it.

The ground before the tree curdled, rippling and crumbling as whatever was underneath forced its way upwards, and Wilson watched as something large, speared and crooked and spread like massive claws broke through the earth first, soil falling in dusty heaps as it tilted and pulled unbalanced, and it took a moment to realize those looked a lot like _antlers_.

Long branching limbs burst from the crumbling dirt, clawed and pulled and heaved out from under the trees great trunk and the heavy frost touched earth, he could see great talons that curved dark and sharp and scraping, and then the tree that had coiled and curved it's great roots went very, very still as the figure finally pulled itself into a stand.

Tall, very tall, for a second standing hunched and head held low, massive antlers that pulled heavy in a slight tilt, arms hanging limp with those wicked claws, and Wilson stood stock still as well, holding his breath, waiting.

And then the head rose up a bit, the shift of leaves and the last of the loose dirt that clung to its form, and Wilson stared as the figure stood straight, towering as those antlers shone in the sunlight and the leaves that coated its form seemed to unfurl, come alive in that soft, twisting way that plants did when they were awash in the morning light. The great claws spread, as if stretching, and a great heave of chilly clouded breath from its mouth, sucking in air slow and that low groaning sound of the great tree behind it, and Wilson just stared.

He had no idea how to react to this, though at the very least he hadn't run like Wolfgang. He wouldn't have wanted to miss something like this for all the world, and already his mind was whirling, eyes staring at the coat of leaves that twisted and twined from the figures body, the soil that seemed caught in divots and the fainter, muffled sounds of wood and bark aching and shifting with its every heaved breath.

For all that he could see, Wilson couldn't get a good view of its face. Leaves were traced over it, entwined with what almost looked to be silver hair, long and thin and shadowed by the great antlers that seemed to pull heavy to its balance, and the claws twitched as its head moved, side to side, as if looking about.

But it had no visible eyes, or they were hidden under the coating of leaves, and after another moment the great tree behind it groaned, wood shifting and falling as its bark shifted once more, returning to the soft spirals as its roots outstretched and became motionless once more in the earth.

Wilson turned his head, watched as the one behind him twisted like a snake, massive and heavy, before digging deep and laying still with a low, barely audible sigh.

That wasn't normal, now that he thought about it, and he turned his head to the figure once more, realizing that maybe Wolfgang was right about this whole thing. Maybe he should have left earlier, instead of being a stubborn asshole.

His breath caught in his throat when he realized the thing was staring at him.

Or, at the very least its head was turned towards him, the foggy air still about its face, completely motionless as Wilson stared at it, wide eyed.

And then, Wilson could almost swear that it _smiled_ at him.

All sharp teeth, _very_ sharp teeth, _dangerously_ sharp teeth, in the way its face split and the leaves of its body curled and those sharp talons outstretched, and Wilson took in a shuddery little gulp of air, realising that maybe this was bad.

He didn't know what made him leap out of the way, what suddenly spiked adrenaline through him and said, in the back of his mind, _get out of the way!_ , but whatever it was the split second decision probably just saved his life because he was just barely able to scramble out of the way before the figure had moved.

More like pounced, a coiling in the body and tense sudden crouch, but Wilson was out of the way and more like tripping as talons raked through the grass and leaf litter of where he had been standing and a low, groaning sound, like a whisper of wind through the trees, rose up behind him. Scrambling for a second, not even giving a quick look behind him before the short man darted to the outskirts, away from the massive tree roots and skidding behind one of the encircling pines, rose bushes lower here but just as thorny and catching on his trousers, but that didn't quite matter because Wilson's heart was in his throat and he was pretty sure that the thing that had crawled its way out of the earth wanted to _hurt_ him.

It took a few seconds, of his panting breath and thundering heart, to realize that there was no sound of pursuit.

For a moment Wilson almost considered just making a run for it, escaping while he can and maybe even catching up with Wolfgang, but there was that sound again, like wind through the trees, and now that he wasn't entranced by sight he could smell something too.

The frost had, for the most part, culled any scent that the forest had to offer, made the trip a bit surreal actually, but now he could smell damp earth, something familiar to mildew and cut grass and sprouting plants, smells he was very familiar with, both from his research life and personal, and they were strong and cloying and all had to be coming from behind him, in the clearing with that great tree and its monster.

After a few seconds of gathering his strength, Wilson cautiously peeked his head out from behind the pine, ignoring the jabbing rose thorns as he took a look.

Back in the clearing, still where he had originally been standing, the thing from the earth was there. Not quite standing anymore, not straight anyway, hunched and with arms outstretched, briefly running its talons to the tree root Wilson had touched, pausing a moment on the bark before continuing, and Wilson realized that it almost looked as if it had lost him and was trying to track him.

But he had only run a short way, had been way too close to just lose him like that, right?

It stood a little straighter, leaning and tilting its head, those great antlers rising and falling as it seemed to listen, talons spread and arms searching, brief touches to the dirt where he had been standing and then brushing even more outwards, waving almost, as if to see if there was an obstacle ahead.

"...You're _blind_." Wilson's voice was hushed, whispered only to himself really, he hadn't meant to say anything out loud, and yet the figures head snapped up to stare in his direction, claws frozen and body tense, still a moment as a heaved fog cloud of air escaped its fanged mouth.

And then it smiled again.

"Wonderful observation, pal."

It's voice was rugged, croaked and groaned and like the sound a tree makes as it bends in a great storm, that whisper breath of wind through the leaves, thick with what might have even been _sarcasm_ , and Wilson only had a moment to scramble backwards and rush off to another tree before it was clawing at where he had stood.

For how fast it seemed, its actual slashes were sluggish, and Wilson slowed his step a bit, edging back into the clearing as he watched it rake its claws into the pines bark, dragging to the earth. It stopped the moment it touched the roses, froze, and Wilson halted midstep as he watched it jerk back as if stung, coiling its claws close as that wind whisper fractured and grew thinner, harder to hear.

It took a moment, his heart was still beating hard and the adrenaline was rushing through him no matter what, but Wilson curled his hands into fists, eyes darting from the figure to the roses as it backed off from the thorns.

Running would work, but he might have something better if he played his cards right.

"You...you can talk?"

Its antlers made its sharp twist lean heavy to the side, though its body didn't seem to lose balance as it pinpointed where his voice came from, and this time Wilson was already backing off, quiet and careful in his steps about the frosted grasses and dirt.

"Of course, pal. Anything can speak-"

Wilson was already out of the way by the time those claws were ripping into the dirt, carefully circling about one of the trees great roots and avoiding touching it as he watched.

"...if it so wishes to." Finished the figure, and another cloud of fog from its mouth, pressured groan of wood and bark and tree branches from its exhale, as it swayed heavily over the patch of nothing it had leapt to. 

It looked so large close up, so tall and frightening, but it just kept _missing_ him.

For all that Wolfgang had worried about, Wilson thought, it was pretty apparent that Wilson can, in fact, take care of himself just fine.

It felt almost as if he had all the time in the world, and Wilson slowed to a halt as he thought of his next question, next set of words to lead it in a half circle about the clearing, his plan to waste its time and get his own answers looking steadily more and more believable.

"Is there a reason that you are attacking me?"

The moment the words left his lips Wilson was moving again, watching his feet and the movement of the figure as it jerked around to the sound of his voice, its whole body going back into that crouch, that coiling of tense energy that seemed so _slow_.

It didn't answer until after clawing the dirt beneath its talons, and this time Wilson could see the faintest lines of what could be _frustration_ on its face, the way it shook itself, waved its great antlers and how even a few leaves seemed to drift down to the earth.

That drew Wilsons eyes and attention, and he put a fair amount of distance in between this time, plan in mind as it took in a great shudder of a breath, as if having a fair bit of trouble doing so each time.

" 'No Trespassing', the signs say," the creature said, and there was no smile this time, the sharp curves of fangs pulling into a scowling frown, " 'Private Property', if I remember correctly."

This time it angled its head, listening, waiting for an answering voice, and Wilson watched it, eyes narrowed as he briefly pushed up his glasses, took in a breath as quietly as he could.

"Those are a few miles south, not at all near here."

He was moving, this time with a little more urgency, and he could feel the sweep of air as it pounced in his previous direction, clawed down and hissing that windy sound in frustration now.

He had time to scoop up a few of those leaves, soft and new and reminding him of his own growing experiments from way back when, urging new growth and genetic diversity, the scribbled ramblings of his papers as he tried to connect each piece of information to the next, and he continued a half jog as he spoke again.

"You look like you're having a hard time with this."

Wilson almost laughed this time, backing away from the sudden slowed frenzy as the creature hurled itself again to empty ground, though a different sound erupted from it's throat, almost made him slow down at the harsh gurgled snarl, hissing out not like wind through the leaves, but like a gust, a force of nature that made its claws sink deep through the half frozen earth and tear out chunks of the grass by the roots.

"Too early," it muttered after a moment, leaning heavily as it breathed heavy and more leaves fell from its body, having lost track of him once more, "it's far too early."

Wilson could only take that as clarification; spring was only just beginning, after all.

Now he sort of felt bad, actually; was this bullying, making some monster of the forest rush around trying to catch him in vain, just because he didn't rely on the weather to keep himself awake and alive? It was obvious how much it related to the growth of plants, and it was still cold out here.

Still, it did want to kill him, or at least horribly maim. That part of its motives seemed fairly clear, for whatever reason it was. Maybe it was just territorial?

Then again, fairly sentient. Wilson was a biologist, but he has studied in botany and chemistry, was not a zoologist, or whatever it was when a person turned their thought matter to the "monsters" of the world. 

Well, he got what he was pretty sure all he'd get from this; the soft leaves in his hands went to his pack at his side, with the rose buds and leaves and roots and soil samples he had collected earlier, and now was probably the time to get going.

He quietly made his way over to the rose bushes, in the vague direction that he knew Wolfgang and himself had come in from according to the crushed and damaged parts of it the big man had made in his fleeing earlier. A glance back showed that the creature was still in his previous place of standing, claws spread and searching the ground, alert and listening for him once more even as it seemed to bend under its own weight, heave for air with a bit more force to it.

He definitely felt a bit bad, actually.

"...Well, I'd say it was nice meeting you." Its head jerked up as Wilson spoke, as he rapidly backed into the thorns and branches of the roses, and then he confidently halted only a few feet away from the clearing, encircled by the protective plants. "Except I'm sure you don't feel the same."

Its face seemed to flash a moment, as it tilted its head, heavy antlers making it do so even more than it probably needed to, talons spreading in the grass and dirt, and Wilson smiled smugly, wondering if it knew that he was well beyond its reach.

It didn't want to touch the roses, for whatever reason, so he was pretty sure he was protected from those claws.

"I'll leave you to whatever it was you were doing earlier. Sleeping, I think?" Wilson hesitated a moment, thinking as he tapped his chin in thought, and there was another groan, wind whistling through tall branches, wood straining in twists and the clouded smell of fresh earth and new life growing in the soil. "Sorry we disturbed you, I guess. Won't do it again if I can help it."

He might have been lying there, maybe next winter, deep winter if he can do it right, he'll head back out here, dig around. The monster being this slow, in early spring, and maybe it won't even wake in the cold of midwinter, and Wilson wondered and thought of how much research, information he can gleam from acquiring samples from its form, how much data he'd be able to write down and compile together, how much he'd be able to get from what he's already taken, those small leaves stowed safe in his pack.

This was definitely something he'd not inform Wagstaff of. The old man's moral gray ethics aside, this was _Wilson's_ discovery, not anyone else's, and he wasn't going to let this slip from his grasp that easy.

The sound of the wind, gusts of it lashing against the boughs of a tree, and suddenly Wilson realized he might have overestimated how protected he was in the roses.

He stumbled back, those massive claws near in his face, the towering form of something so other and inhuman looming before him, and now this close, that overpowering smell of dirt and clay and rot and growth, Wilson could now see that it wasn't that the leaves were rooted throughout skin-

It was bark, twisted dark bark that made up the monsters form, bark that made those creaking groans of sound from its every movement, and the heavy tangle of leaves and roots and twigs hung from it like a coat, a bristling mane that fell from its shoulders and down its back, curling its sides and hanging low, a canopy almost, and those twisted claws were bark as well, thick wood pieces darkened at the edges and trailing roots from the wrists, those soft curled leaves trailing down its arms, and it loomed over Wilson, massive antlers hanging above and still coated in a fine dirt layer, trailing more thin stringy root networks, and-

And its _face_ , the patterned grooves of bark and wood that curled like sharp cheekbones, deep and hollow in the jut of a chin, the leaves and that fine silvery hair hanging long and thin from its head, coating low over the place of its eyes, hollow divots that were empty sockets, overgrown and covering, hidden away underneath the strewn low hanging root system and leaves trailing atop the long, crooked wooden nose, and it looked down upon Wilson, upon the short botanist in all his hubris to something so _other_ and _alien_ and _distant,_ and-

-and Wilson felt very, very small.

"You," it whistled low to him, wind through the trees and its very heaved breath that warm damp of sodden deep earth, humid and smelling of deep rot, deep mold and thick mildew, growth that crept and rotted and pulled through, new and fresh and invasive, and it leaned low, almost to touch him it was so close now, rose bushes risen all about him and it, "-have pushed your luck, pal."

It rose a talon, long and dark and grooved with those same crooked spiral patterns, and Wilson's eyes focused on it, as it came close to poking his face, just barely brushed the middle of his glasses, a light drag to Wilson's right lense before almost settling to touch his nose.

"Look at you, mortal." It hissed, the winds going quiet, rumbled now rough, the wash of its humid earthy breath over his face as Wilson stared, frozen, at its threatening claw so close to his face. He couldn't move, for the life of him he _couldn't move_ , and its face split, jagged teeth that he couldn't quite tell if made from enamel or wood, organic flesh or organic flora. "All _bark_ , and no bite."

…

_Was that a pun?_

Wilson blinked, once, twice, as this thing of the earth considered him a few moments more, but the sudden thought, realization had broken him from whatever spell he had fallen under.

Monsters weren't supposed to make pun jokes, and definitely didn't know word play.

Still didn't change the fact that he was in danger, but the idea stripped down any thought that he was helpless under an impossibly dangerous monstrosity and just like that Wilson sucked in a breath, shut his eyes tight-

-and headbutt the creature with as much strength as he could pack in his leap.

The thud of his forehead connecting to its chin brought a round of dizzying stars to his vision, flashing static as his balance went weak from the force, but through the pain of impact Wilson blinked open his eyes and saw the towering thing _actually stumble a step back._

He tripped on his own two feet, dizzy and weak from the pounding in his head, he didn't do that often and he hoped he hadn't just given himself a concussion, but the rose thorns couldn't stop his retreat and neither could they stop him from yelling over his shoulder, voice slurred a bit but still strong enough-

"Bark and no bite my ass! You don' mess with Wilson P. Higgsbury without getting hit, asshole!"

That groaning wooden snarl rose up behind him, but Wilson's strength quickly returned back to him, like it always did, he's always considered himself a gentleman and scholar but it can't be said Wilson has never been in an unfair fight before, being this short meant there would always be someone out there with some unkind thing to say, and with that Wilson started to run.

Leaving the forest thing behind, rumbling low and blind and every so gently parting the thorn bushes away from its steps, ever so carefully ensuring its unsteady clawed feet did not step upon a single vine or branch. 

The mortal might escape, might flee far and ever away, but a grin split upon the Verdant druid turned dryads face anyway, jagged and haggard and ever so exhausted, deeply irate.

_You don't just give your name away like that, pal, not without consequences._

_And those consequences won't be stopped anytime soon._

_We will meet again, I assure you, Wilson P. Higgsbury._

_We will meet again._


End file.
